Description
Bareknuckle fighting was one of the first organised spectators’ sports and the first to boast a World Championship; yet, paradoxically, it was illegal throughout its history. Dennis Brailsford is the first historian to describe the entire history of bareknuckle fighting from the Regency period until its decline in the early years of the twentieth century. He covers not only the London Ring spread of bareknuckle fighting to America and Australia but also the household names who played a key role in the popularisation of the sport: Mendoza, Gully and ‘Gentleman’ John Jackson, exploring their lives, how they trained, how matches were set up, as well as fighting styles, financial rewards and their post-fighting careers.
Brailsford also shows how new methods of travel and communication affected the organisation of fights and the efforts of those who tried to prevent them. In an age where bareknuckle boxing and comparable fighting sports such as MMA are growing in popularity again, Brailsford offers a backward look at how we arrived at now – perhaps prompting thoughts of the ways in which martial sports may develop in future.
